Falcon Lake UFO - Stephen Michalak's Close Encounter

Falcon Lake UFO (Unsolved Mysteries)May 20th, 1967 -
Falcon Lake, ManitobaStephen
Michalak set out on a prospecting trip to Falcon Lake, Manitoba, on
Friday, May 19th, 1967, just as he would have for any other trip. He
packed his equipment, and his wife packed him a lunch for the next day's
work.

He arrived in Falcon Lake at approximately 9:30
p.m. and checked into a motel. He would later report to the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that he went for a coffee at the motel's
beverage room.

On the morning of May 20th, Michalak awoke early in the morning and
began prospecting in an area he later attempted to keep secret.

After
a morning of work in the bushes around Falcon Lake, he came across a
flock of geese, a typical scene for rural Manitoba, and sat down at
11:00 a.m. to have his lunch. It was the ruckus caused by the geese that
first caught Michalak's attention. When he looked up, there were two flying saucers directly in front of him.

According
to his statement to the RCMP, he knelt in amazement before the two
objects. One of the objects landed about 100 feet in front of him, while
the other hovered about 10 feet off of the ground. Michalak estimated
the size of the hovering object to be about 30 feet in diameter.

The first object remained on the ground for 45 minutes. It made a
whirling sound and gradually changed in colour from grey to silver. Then
a hatch opened and the object emitted a bright violet light. Michalak
claimed that he heard voices from within. He called out to the voices in
English, German, Italian, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian.

There
was no response; instead the hatch closed quickly as if the inhabitants
were spooked. Michalak reached out and touched the object as it began to
revolve and take off, and he was instantly pushed back by a force of
hot air. The blast burned his clothing and left marks on his chest.

After he ripped off his clothing, Michalak felt ill. He began to vomit
and noticed a metallic smell coming from inside his body, like the
burning smell of an electric wire or an electric motor. Feeling worse by
the minute, Michalak headed towards the highway, where he managed to
flag down an RCMP car.

Michalak
refused medical treatment from the officer at the time, but later went
back to the RCMP detachment office and asked for a doctor. Upon learning
that there were no doctors in the area, he caught a bus back to
Winnipeg.

Falcon Lake UFOPhotograph
of Stephen Michalak showing the geometric burn pattern on his body. The
burn pattern was 1 foot in diameter, blotchy and had unburned areas
inside the burned perimeter area.

When Michalak returned home, his son took him to the hospital. He did
not tell the doctor the burns were caused by an unidentified flying
object (UFO), but rather by airplane exhaust. Michalak also consulted
his family doctor about his loss of appetite; since the ordeal, he had
experienced rapid weight loss.

On May 26th, 1967, Michalak was
interviewed by C.J. Davis of the RCMP. His report describes the burn
marks visible on Michalak's chest: "...a large burn that covers an area
approximately 1 foot in diameter. The burn was... blotchy and with
unburned areas inside the burned perimeter area."

By this time, the authorities had
become very interested in the case. There were aspects of Michalak's
story that were difficult to explain, such as the burns on his body. The
RCMP wanted to find the landing site to investigate further. They first
attempted to find the site on their own, on May 31st, but were
unsuccessful.

On June 1st, 1967, Michalak was brought to Falcon Lake to lead another
search. Michalak could not find the site, causing increased speculation
about the validity of his claim.

The RCMP uncovered another
discrepancy in his story: Michalak had reported that he went for coffee
the night before the alleged sighting; however the bartender at the
Falcon Lake Motel's beverage room claimed to have served Michalak
bottles of beer. The RCMP decided to close the case until Michalak could locate the landing site.

On
June 26th, however, the case re-opened. Michalak claimed to have found
the site on his own, and recovered objects he had left there -- pieces
of his burnt clothing, steel tape, and some rocks and soil samples.

Falcon Lake UFO

Drawing with notes by Michalak of the landed UFO he encountered at Falcon Lake.

You can see from this diagram the ventilation or exhaust grill-like pattern which match the burn pattern on Michalak's body.

RCMP Squad Leader Bissky visited Michalak on the evening
of June 26th and obtained samples of soil brought back from the
location.

The soil samples, along with samples of clothing and the steel
tape, were sent to be tested for radioactive material.

On July 24th,
the results of these tests were sent to the RCMP along with a memo that
stated, "U.F.O. reported by Stephen Michalak. Laboratory tests
here indicate earth samples taken from scene highly radioactive.
Radiation protection Div. of Dept. of Health and Welfare concerned that
others may be exposed, if travel in area not restricted."
A second laboratory test was sent to the RCMP on July
25th. It stated that the Department of Health and Welfare would be
sending a representative, Mr. Hunt, to Winnipeg to investigate.
On the evening of July 27th, 1967, Michalak was visited by Hunt, Squad Leader Bissky
and C.J. Davis, who explained the laboratory findings of radioactive
material. Michalak agreed to take them to the landing site on the
following day, July 28th.

The group walked to the location in the afternoon and reported the scene
to be bare of evidence except for a semi-circle on the rock face, 15
feet in diameter, where the moss had been somehow removed.

Mr. Hunt found traces of radiation in a fault in the rock across the center of the landing spot. No
trace of radiation was found around the outer perimeter of the circle
or in the moss or grass below the raised portion of the rock.

The
radioactive material found in the rock fault was radium 226, an isotope
in wide commercial use and also found in nuclear reactor waste. In view
of the small quantity of soil contamination, Mr. Hunt determined that
there was no danger to humans traveling in the area.

Mr. Hunt's report of September 13th, 1967. The Department of National
Defence identifies the Falcon Lake case as unsolved. Stephen Michalak
wrote a book about his experience, but claimed to never have financially
benefited from his ordeal. Michalak died in 1999, age 83.